THE CAT AND THE CANARY-1939- Old house
mystery turned into a vehicle for Bob Hope. 10 years after the death
of millionaire Cyrus Norman, his remaining relatives gather for the
reading of his will in his spooky Louisiana bayou mansion, watched
over by the equally spooky caretaker Miss Lu (Gale Sondergaard). The
heir most likely to gain the inheritance is Joyce Norman (Paulette
Goddard) but if she is proven insane before a certain period of time
the money goes to the second heir. Only the family lawyer (George
Zucco, a busy actor in 1939) knows who that will be but when he's
killed weird things happen to Joyce to make her seem unstable. Hope
is a wisecracking actor and relative who helps Joyce find out what's
really happening in a story that features secret panels, strange
sounds, a clutching hand and a search for a rare necklace. John Beal,
Douglas Montgomery, Elizabeth Patterson and Nydia Westman are the
other relatives. Charles Lane appears as a reporter.
This is actually a remake of a 1927 silent film directed by Paul Leni and there are at least 4 other versions including one made in 1979 directed by Radley Metzger.
Former actor
Eliot Nugent (he'd direct Hope again in MY FAVORITE BLONDE) also
worked with Danny Kaye and Harold Lloyd and made a version of THE
GREAT GATSBY starring Alan Ladd in 1949. His career was hampered by
alcohol and mental condition and he retired in the early '50's. Hope
and Goddard would team up again a year later in GHOST BREAKERS.
Thanks for reading!
